Textile History

Descending from generations of Armenian weavers and dyers, Jane Porter carries her love for beautiful fabric and color in every fashion accessory she creates. Jane selects silk, wool, cotton and cashmere fabrics with weave structures that enhance the scarf’s drape and comfort.

Her passion for textiles and color began at an early age. Growing up near New York City, her grandmother, Ardemis Bedrosian, a fashion designer in her own right, taught her about excellent fabrics. Together they designed and sewed all of Jane’s dance and party dresses in the 1960’s.

Her first line of Egyptian cotton dresses were sold in Philadelphia boutiques in 1968. Costume design for The Colgate University Theater in 1970 allowed her to develop different skills of scale and production. Even through careers in nursing and investment management, fashion and textiles remained her true love. Jane learned machine and hand knitting, experimenting with color and structure that laid the groundwork for her future designs.

Costume Design: Colgate University, 1971

Alexandria Textiles, Inc.

In 1988, Alexandria Textiles, Inc. was established to promote creative textile design. Jane experimented with electronic and hand knitting machines. She discovered that the machines helped her understand the structures of hand knitting and translated that knowledge to her knitting needles.

Textile Education

Studying at The Philadelphia Guild of Hand Weavers during 1993 through 1996, Jane felt a stronger affinity for textile techniques, especially natural dyeing. It was then she learned of her ancestors’ livelihood and understood her direction. Her ancestors were dyers of fabrics using natural plants and insects for thousands of years. Jane learned weaving, spinning and natural dyeing at the Guild and opened a school for the fiber arts in Chadds Ford, PA., from 1996 to 2001.

Natural Dyes

In 2002, learning to print with natural dyes on fabric became Jane’s passion. She created a naturally dyed line of silk clothing for the professional woman that was sold in boutiques throughout America. Today, designing and creating one of a kind scarves is Jane’s primary focus. Experimentation is a way of life for Jane Porter. “What will happen if…?” is her guiding principle Because nothing is a mistake, all is education.

Mentoring

Teaching is one of Jane’s passions. She has mentored many weaving interns, has taught weaving, spinning and dyeing. Currently Jane is a mentor in Colgate University’s Thought into Action Institute, guiding students who want to become entrepreneurs. “Made in America” has been Jane’s foundation for decades, creating business and jobs in her endeavors.